More surveillance cameras among new security measures in Mexico City

Some of the 11,200 cameras will be ultra-high definition

The budget for Mexico City’s C5 security command control center will allow it to purchase 11,200 new surveillance cameras this year, 200 of which will record at 4K ultra-high definition resolution.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the center’s 1.2-billion-peso allocation (US $63.2 million) will also allow it to install more storage for video footage.

It will be able to store footage recorded by the cameras for 30 days instead of the current seven, preserving criminal evidence for a longer period.

Also in the center’s plans:

• The 889 seismic alert speakers that are malfunctioning will be repaired by the end of February.

• By March, the city government will conclude its distribution of 1,000 geolocalization devices to women living in high-risk conditions. The devices can be used to request police presence remotely and instantly in case of emergency, and are part of the government’s Violet Code program.

• A C5 facility is to be operational at the Central de Abasto – Mexico City’s huge wholesale market — by the end of the year, and will be equipped with 20 cameras that will scan license plates.

• One hundred panic buttons will be installed throughout the market, allowing shoppers and shopkeepers to report crimes and request rapid police presence.

• Tighter collaboration protocols will be implemented with neighboring states, allowing security forces to arrest criminals who flee across state lines.

• Higher salaries for 911 operators, who are poorly paid, according to C5 chief Manuel García Ortegón, leading to high staff turnover. He said savings in other areas will allow the emergency response service to pay its operators higher salaries and promote their professionalization.

He also reported that the number of operators will increase from the current 118 to 250, allowing the emergency service to reduce response time.

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